MIA

This is a story of an incredible woman. As a young girl she made a comittment to a man that she didn’t even know. Back in the 70s when the Vietnam war was happening many people took a vow to wear a MIA bracelet for a soldier that was missing in action. Many days, months and years went by. Some men returned home and the people wearing their bracelet would be able to remove the bracelet once they returned home. Not for one soldier and the girl who was wearing his bracelet. After 4 decades she gets the word that his remains were located. It was Christmas day 1972 when 12 year old Kathy Strong found her bracelet in her stocking. She took her committment very seriously. She wore this bracelet and never took it off. She said she even wore it through an MRI. This was not a promise that she took lightly. She wore the name James Moreland until she was told that his remains were found and were brought home to be buried. She didn’t remove the bracelet until she could put it on his uniform in his coffin. She sat with his family at the funeral even though she had never met this man. She had always dreamed of the day when she would take off the bracelet and meet the man she was wearing it for. What dedication to follow through a promise you made as a child long into your adult life. Thank you for your servie Kathy.

How long would you have kept searching? Today’s ALGN post was sent to me by two friends, Mark B. and Bill B. It is about a woman named Peggy Harris and her 68 year search for her husband. Peggy was a brand new newlywed (married for only six weeks) when when her husband, Billie D. Harris, was shipped off for war. Billie was a fighter pilot in World War II. His last mission was July 17th, 1944 over Nazi-occupied Northern France. He never made it back from that mission. Peggy was very worried about her husband. She kept getting different messages about what happened to him. First, they said he was missing. Then, Peggy got much better news. She was told that he was alive and would be coming home. But, later, she was told he was dead and buried in a certain cemetery. Then, another communication that also said he was dead, but buried in a different cemetery. Finally, she heard that those may not be his remains at all. So Peggy waited and searched for her husband. She waited for months, then years….then decades. She wrote to her Congressman many times, searching for answers. Her last letter was written to Representative Mack Thornberry of Texas in 2005. She was hopeful (as he was also Vice-Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee). She got a response from him, stating that her husband, Billie, was still listed as Missing in Action in the National Archives. This was such disappointing news. Peggy kept waiting and searching. But, she didn’t know where to search, so she got some help from her husband’s cousin, Alton Harvey. He was committed to keep searching until he got to the bottom of it for Peggy. He started out by requesting Billie’s military records. And that is ALL IT TOOK. The search was over!! It showed that Billie was buried in the world’s most famous cemetery in Normandy, France. And sure enough, there was a white marble cross that had been there for years, with his name on it. It appears that nobody from Thornberry’s office had ever tried to find out anything. Had they tried, they would have found an answer right away. Since then, Peggy sends flowers to the grave 10 times a year. But, guess what…the story doesn’t end there. I won’t even tell you the rest of the story. I want you to see it for yourself on the video. But, suffice it to say that there were people in France (close by) who not only knew Billie had died, but witnessed it and were thankful for what a hero he was, even in death. Watch it and see for yourself. It is GREAT!! The search for Billie D. Harris may finally be over. But, the memories of a husband and hero will live on forever!

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